Full time: Crystal Palace 2-4 Liverpool
Peep peep! Liverpool stay in touch with Manchester City and Arsenal after a thrilling attacking performance in a highly enjoyable game. If they do win their first title since 1990, they are going to do it in style. Thanks for your company, goodnight.
90+2 min Liverpool make their final substitution, with Ragnar Klavan replacing Sadio Mane.
90 min There will be four minutes of added detail.
89 min Coutinho is replaced by Divock Origi. He played obscenely well.
88 min Coutinho almost gets the goal his wonderful performance deserves, sidefooting too close to Mandanda after a pass from Mane.
86 min Puncheon’s well-struck if optimistic shot from 30 yards goes a few yards over the bar. Karius had it covered.
85 min Fraizer Campbell replaces James McArthur for Palace.
81 min That Firmino goal knocked the stuffing out of Palace, and now the only issue is whether Liverpool get any more.
79 min Coutinho runs straight through two Palace defenders and hits a left-footed shot that is well saved by Mandanda.
78 min If I was a Liverpool fan, I would be inclined to book Monday 22 May 2017 off work.
76 min A Liverpool substitution: Georginio Wijnaldum replaces Adam Lallana.
74 min Palace bring on Jason Puncheon for Joe Ledley.
74 min Zaha’s rising shot from the right of the box is beaten away by Karius.
73 min The top three have all scored four away from home today. This could - could - turn out to be the best title race since 2001-02.
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GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-4 Liverpool (Firmino 71)
Roberto Firmino seals victory for Liverpool with a fine goal. Henderson played a fast, penetrative pass down the middle to Firmino, who ran between the centre-backs and flipped the ball gently over the outrushing Mandanda from the edge of the box.
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70 min Another appeal for a penalty by Palace, when Zaha goes over on the corner of the box after a challenge from Can. Nah.
69 min This is a good spell for Palace, who are having more of the ball than at any time in the match.
66 min A Palace substitution: Andros Townsend replaces the anonymous Lee. Replays show that Matip did just about get the ball with that tackle on Benteke, so Andre Marriner made the right decision.
62 min “Sturridge must be kicking himself (something I’d pay to see as it would of course be technically beautiful) as there is no way this is a match for him even as a substitute,” says Ian Copestake. “He should just read poetry.”
I wonder if one of the other big teams - United or Arsenal in particular - might take a punt on him in January.
61 min This game is so open and could easily end 4-3 to Palace or 6-2 to Liverpool. Even Quasimodo has declined to predict what’s going to happen next.
59 min Palace have two penalty appeals turned down in one attack. The first looked a dive by Zaha, but the second, a clumsy hack by Matip at Benteke, was a much better shout. I’d like to see it again as Matip was just have got something on the ball.
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58 min This, in the parlance of our time, could be anything. Both teams look like they will create a chance with every attack.
57 min Benteke misses a great chance! He headed a long ball down to Cabaye, who played a lovely return pass. Benteke was 12 yards out, to the left of the box; he tried to curl it across goal but didn’t around the ball enough and it was straight at Karius.
54 min Coutinho, who has played astonishingly well, weights a gorgeous angled through ball for Mane, who bursts beyond Kelly before hitting a low shot that is crucially saved by the outstretched leg of Mandanda.
52 min A corner to Palace on the left. Cabaye plays it short to Zaha, who loses it. What a bizarre decision to play it short with all those huge units waiting in the box.
51 min Palace, so cautious in the first half, have clearly determined to get in Liverpool’s a face a bit more, or indeed a bit.
49 min Karius makes a smart save from Benteke. A free-kick from the halfway line was won in the air by Dann on the edge of the box. His header bounced towards Benteke, who turned smartly to smash a shot towards goal from a tight angle. Karius’s positioning was good and the shot bounced off him.
48 min Can is booked for a late tackle on Cabaye.
46 min Peep peep! Palace begin the second half, kicking from right to left.
Half-time reading
Half time: Crystal Palace 2-3 Liverpool
That was a richly entertaining half. Liverpool played ridiculously well going forward, scoring three and hitting the post twice. Palace have done well to stay in the game because they’ve been battered. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-3 Liverpool (Matip 44)
Liverpool have scored again from a set piece, against the team who were supposed to bully them at set pieces. Coutinho’s fast corner from the right dipped beautifully onto the head of the unmarked Matip, who bulleted a header through Mandanda. It was terrible defending from Palace, with Tomkins supposed to be marking Matip, but it was a great ball and a thumping header. That’s Matip’s first goal for Liverpool.
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43 min Quasimodo predicts a 5-2 win for Liverpool. They have been sensational going forward.
41 min That Coutinho header actually hit the outstretched hand of Ward before it was saved by Mandanda, so Liverpool might have had a penalty.
40 min Yet another chance for Liverpool. It came after a blistering counter-attack. Lallana played the ball into Coutinho, who held the ball and then played a brilliant reverse pass to find Lallana on the left of the box. He was caught between crossing and shooting and ended up dragging the ball a few yards wide of the far post.
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38 min Mane misses a sitter! Coutinho’s cross was blocked and came back to Clyne, who fizzed a precise pass across the box to pick out Mane. He was 10 yards out, unmarked, but somehow sidefooted his shot over the bar.
37 min Great save from Mandanda! Firmino scooted round the back on the right and stood up a fine cross towards Coutinho. He stretched to head towards goal, and Mandanda flew to his right to push it onto the post.
36 min “JR makes a good point about Karius’ attempt to block the ball for McArthur’s goal,” says Graeme Thorn, “but his thought process could have been that Lovren’s shanked clearance might have been misconstrued as a backpass had he handled it before McArthur touched it.”
35 min Not even Quasimodo predicted this. Liverpool have been completely in control of the game, and it’s 2-2.
34 min It’s fair to say McArthur doesn’t score many headed goals. He celebrated both by patting his head in joyous disbelief.
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GOAL! Crystal Palace 2-2 Liverpool (McArthur 33)
James McArthur scores his second headed goal of the match! Benteke won a high ball, heading it across to Zaha on the right. He drove a flat cross towards the six-yard line, where McArthur got in front of Lovren and headed decisively past Karius. That’s an excellent finish.
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29 min The overlapping Moreno blitzes a shot off the outside of the post from a tight angle. I think Mandanda had it covered but even so, some of Liverpool’s attacking play has been electric.
27 min Lovren has made a virtue of embarrassment - since Palace’s goal he has been on one, and now he goes marauding down the left wing like Lothar Matthaus! It doesn’t lead to anything of note but it was a great and vaguely comical run.
26 min This has been a hugely impressive performance from Liverpool so far, though I do wonder whether Palace have shown them slightly too much respect. Whatever the reason, around four-fifths of the match is being played in Palace’s half.
25 min “The cherry on top of that crap defending sandwich was Karius declining to use his hands to block that header by McArthur,” says JR in Illinois. “He tried to block it with his head even though he was yards inside his area. The replays are hilarious. Still chuckling about that one.”
24 min Firmino might have made it 3-1. Tomkins’ interception turned into a great through ball for Firmino, who scuffed his left-footed shot from 12 yards. It might have gone in nonetheless but for a superb block by Ward.
23 min I have bugger all to say, I just wanted to type an entry that wasn’t a goal.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool (Lovren 21)
Lovren makes up for his error straight away! He muscled Dann aside at the far post to meet Coutinho’s left-wing corner and thump a header under Mandanda. That’s an outstanding response to a hideous error to give Palace their equaliser. Palace will be disgusted that Liverpool have scored from a set-piece against them.
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GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Liverpool (McArthur 18)
Palace are level thanks to an appalling mistake from Dejan Lovren! A long goalkick went through to Matip, who stooped to head it square to Lovren. I have no idea what Lovren was trying to do - I think he mistook himself for Franz Beckenbauer - but he lobbed it gently back towards his own goal and McArthur ran through to head past the outrushing Karius from 15 yards.
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GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Liverpool (Can 16)
As you were, with Liverpool on the attack - and now they’ve scored! They had a long spell of possession before Coutinho clipped a ball over the top for Moreno on the left of the box. He cushioned a volley infield towards Can, who arrived late and hit a low shot from 10 yards that deflected off Dann and past Mandanda. It was on target so it’s Can’s goal, though the deflection was decisive.
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14 min “Yeah, I can see your point,” says Matt Dony. “I’m not one for ‘I’ve got a blacker dog’ games, but the next couple of decades didn’t work out too badly, though, did they? I miss that perch...”
I miss it too.
13 min Palace enjoy the rarefied atmosphere of the Liverpool half for a minute or so. They had been under so much pressure before that.
11 min See 6 min.
8 min Coutinho runs at Ward on the left of the box before overhitting his cross. Liverpool have had 78 per cent of the possession so far.
6 min Liverpool look confident and authoritative in possession. Palace are working extremely hard defensively. This could be a long night for them.
4 min Liverpool have had most of the ball so far, as we expected. Palace’s gameplan was confirmed by their first attack, when Zaha drove a long cross towards Benteke at the far post.
1 min Peep peep! Liverpool, in yellow, kick off from right to left. Palace are in red-and-blue stripes.
An email! “Yes, the title had realistically gone before that Palace game, unless Liverpool won by a truckload of goals,” says Matt Dony. “Goal difference was the factor at that time. Through the first half, it seemed like they could score at will. I remember getting the impression they got carried away, even subconsciously, with the thought of clawing back the difference. A season built on a gung-ho, reckless approach to attacking reached its natural conclusion, with a porous defence giving up goals on the counter at a crucial time. The upshot is, reading that a six-goal win will put Liverpool on top scares me. Those wounds are still tender.”
All I’ve got to say to that is: 26 April 1992.
Pertinent information for lovers of October league tables Manchester City won 4-0 at West Brom, so Liverpool won’t go top tonight unless they win by six. They’ll be happy with any shade of victory.
“Liverpool are an incredibly predictable side as you can always tell from the first 30 seconds whether they will win or lose,” writes Ian Copestake. “If there is no foot on the gas then Benteke might get a hat full. But if the harrying begins from the off then this could be a massive score. 0-0 then. You’re welcome.”
Team news
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1) Mandanda; Ward, Tomkins, Danna, Kelly; McArthur, Ledley; Lee, Cabaye, Zaha; C Benteke.
Substitutes: Hennessey, Fryers, Delaney, Flamini, Townsend, Puncheon, Campbell.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Karius; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Lallana, Henderson, Can; Mane, Firmino, Coutinho.
Substitutes: Mignolet, Randall, Klavan, Lucas, Sturridge, Origi, Wijnaldum.
Referee Andre Marriner
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Preamble
The government might not have a clue how to deal with Brexit – yep, the MBM has discovered politics, deal with it – but Liverpool know how to make a virtue of not being in Europe. There is an increasing sense that, as in 2013-14, the lack of European matches gives them a wonderful chance of winning their first title since 1990.
A trip to Crystal Palace brings back darker memories of that 2013-14 season (even if, in truth, the significance of that 3-3 draw is completely overplayed – the title was gone by then). Palace are always tough opponents at home, and the law of sod suggests Christian Benteke will go into Beast Mode against his old club, but Liverpool will fancy their chances after their superb performances at Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea already this season.
Kick off is at 5.30pm.
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